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"The recession is supposed to be over, but what does this mean in reality for you and your company going into 2010? As briefly as possible, what is the vision for your company in the coming year?"

The response was far too great to publish in one issue of CustomRetailer, so we will appropriately follow up with Part II in the January 2010 CES Issue.

Jack Shafton

Vice President Sales and Marketing

Paradigm Electronics

The recession may be over, but we anticipate a very slow recovery in retail sales. Fortunately, our dealer base (independent audio/video specialists, storefronts, custom-only and hybrids) has been amazingly resilient in this tough economy, so we will focus our energies on continuing to be a key full-line loudspeaker and electronics supplier for this market.

Paradigm's success has been focused on performance AND value in our products—value products have consistently withstood the test of tough economic times. Our vision is to provide the specialty dealer market with even more unique "not available everywhere," profitable, dependable, highest-performance and highest-value products in the categories that are important to today's A/V specialists and custom installers.

Jeannette Howe

Executive Director, Specialty Electronics Nationwide

A Division of the Nationwide Marketing Group

The retail landscape shifted, and the days of clerking flat-panel TVs have come to an end. Successful CE dealers have long been chameleons, and this year presents another opportunity to reinvent your company. The integration of green technologies and the advent of the smart home is a wave that savvy CE dealers will ride for a very long time. Now is the time to familiarize yourself with all IP-based technologies and the numerous home automation solutions.

I feel very fortunate to be affiliated with Nationwide Marketing Group, the largest appliance buying group in the country. Back in October 2009, Whirlpool was given a $19 million stimulus fund grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to accelerate their work on smart-grid appliances. Whirlpool has pledged that in 2011 they will deliver their first million U.S.-made smart dryers. The opportunity for CE dealers to integrate these burgeoning technologies into the home represents our collective future.